The Rawlings Gold Glove Award is the greatest measure of defensive excellence in Major League Baseball. While much has changed since the award was introduced in 1957, one thing has remained the same: defense continues to win games.

What defense is to Rawlings, Dustin Pedroia is to his team. Pedroia is the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox, dating back to 2007, when he was named American League Rookie of the Year and the Red Sox won the World Series.

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award is the greatest measure of defensive excellence in Major League Baseball. While much has changed since the award was introduced in 1957, one thing has remained the same: defense continues to win games.

What defense is to Rawlings, Dustin Pedroia is to his team. Pedroia is the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox, dating back to 2007, when he was named American League Rookie of the Year and the Red Sox won the World Series.

Pedroia shows the form that led to his second Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Pedroia has been a model of consistency both offensively and defensively. They say that showing up is half the battle, and Pedroia's steadfast presence in the Boston lineup is a big reason why he regained the Rawlings AL Gold Glove when the awards were announced Tuesday, Nov. 1 (He won his first Rawlings Gold Glove in 2008).

In 2011, no second baseman started and played in more games than Pedroia. In 159 games, he committed only seven errors (one error every 23 games), and he accounted for 13 Defensive Runs Saved.

Says Pedroia, "If I'm in the lineup, I'm going to play as hard as I can and try to help our team. That's been my mentality ever since I got called up. That's how I'm going to be successful, and I have to try to keep that mindset every season."

Except for an injury-shortened 2010 season, Pedroia has missed only 39 games in four full seasons in the big leagues. His durability can be credited to the baseball-specific workouts he uses to get stronger and prevent injuries—including upper-body strength exercises such as the Rotational Cable Row, Weighted Neutral Grip Pull-Up and X Pull Down, which he performs in the off-season.

The following pulling exercises target the back, shoulders and core. Perform this sequence, along with pushing exercises such as Push-Ups and DB Bench Presses, for a more balanced upper-body workout. (Learn why you should perform more pulling exercises.)

Zac Clark
- Zac Clark is a freelance writer who formerly served as STACK's Custom Content Manager. Prior to joining STACK in 2008, he served as an editorial assistant for USA Hockey Magazine at the USA Hockey national headquarters in Colorado Springs. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bache
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